4/28: The Week's Top Mobile Marketing News

Holly Richmond

Thursday, Apr 28, 2011 at 7:00 AM

Here are some highlights from this week’s notable mobile marketing posts:

Is proximity the future of mobile apps?

ReadWriteWeb makes the bold claim that mobile app Color might be the next Twitter. (Color helps you share pictures and video with people physically near you.) Proximity "has since become a trending term among the tech set. Rather than being about your social connection to someone, Color is about how close you are to them," writes the author, asking, "Is this the next wave of mobile apps?" (ReadWriteWeb)

A third of you use your phone in the bathroom

TechCrunch cites a new survey about mobile phone user habits, and yes, 39 percent of users admit to using their phones in the loo. (TechCrunch)

Why every ad needs a 2D barcode

After perusing a Ralph Lauren ad in his Sunday New York Times, Craig Aberle came to a logical conclusion: the ad should've used mobile tagging. Readers idly curious about the price of the rodeo-inspired fashions could learn more by scanning a barcode, and companies get valuable insight into who's engaging with their print ads. Aberle asks Ralph Lauren, "[S]ince you have an iPhone app for the Spring Collection, why not use a QR code in the ad as a link to the download page for that app? You know – give the customers some real instant gratification!!" (Psst, Craig – Tags can now do just that.) (Barcode News)

Consumers worried about mobile app privacy

Following the iPhone-tracks-your-every-move hullabaloo, mobile privacy is the hot topic du jour. Two recent pieces on Internet Retailer address that, with one announcing "Retailers beware: Mobile app data-sharing is under the microscope" and the other sharing new survey findings on consumer concerns for their personal information when using mobile apps. (For instance, older users have more privacy worries, and only half of app users have read the apps' privacy policies.)

Cell phones blocked at royal wedding

No tweets or phone photos for you, if you're headed to Prince William and Kate Middleton's wedding on Friday (and I know you are). "[S]ignal-blocking technology will be installed at Westminster Abbey to nix cellphone use," reports Mashable. The royal family doesn't want pictures and details of the wedding to leak before the ceremony's even over. (Better just stay home and wake up at 1am to watch it online.) (Mashable)

What else was notable in the world of mobile marketing this week? Let me know in the comments below or on Tag’s Facebook or Twitter pages.